Electrical connectors are known which receive in terminal receiving cavities thereof one or more electrical conductors having terminals terminated on ends thereof. Many of the terminals have wire seals which are disposed around each electrical conductor at the rearward end of the connector to provide a sealing arrangement between the conductor and the connector housing. One such connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,506, in which the conductor is sealingly engaged at locations forwardly and rearwardly from the location where the wire seal sealingly engages the sidewalls of the rearward cavity portion.
Sealing of the conductors is required when the terminals must be isolated from the surroundings. However, it is not required, nor is it practical in all situations to environmentally seal the conductors. In the alternative, if no type of sealing is provided, the air voids provided in the terminal receiving cavities can cause damage to the electrical connection which is effected between the terminals and the conductors. This is a particular problem when the connector is provided in an environment which has frequent temperature changes. As the temperature is reduced, the moisture provided in the air voids condenses onto the terminals and the conductors. The presence of moisture on the surfaces causes the deterioration of the terminals and the conductors, which results in an unreliable and essentially ineffective electrical connection between the respective terminal and conductors.
Consequently, in instances in which it is impractical or impossible to provide an effective wire seal, as was described, it would be beneficial to provide some type of protection to the area in which the electrical connection is effected. The protection should prevent the condensation of the moisture on the surfaces of the terminals and conductors, thereby insuring that the electrical connection between the terminals and the conductors is reliable over time.